WREXHAM ORCHESTRA PREPARES TO STAGE FIRST CONCERT OF 2026

A Wrexham symphony orchestra is preparing to play "all the right notes in the right order" with its first concert of 2026 set to feature an iconic piano concerto which was immortalised in a sketch by Morecambe and Wise.

Wrexham Symphony Orchestra will stage the concert featuring Grieg's famous 'Piano Concerto in A Minor' at William Aston Hall on Sunday 22^nd February at 2.30pm.

Entitled 'Adventurer', the concert will also feature music by Holst and Sibelius including Imogen Holst's overture to 'Persephone', 'The Bard' and 'Symphony No 5' by Jean Sibelius. Wrexham Symphony Orchestra will welcome back conductor Jonathan Small, and soloist Luke Jones (piano) for the concert. 

Best known to UK audiences following the now classic sketch in the 1971 Morecambe and Wise Christmas show, which featured conductor André Previn, Grieg's Piano Concerto was composed in 1868 and became one of his most popular works. The often overlooked and rarely performed Overture to 'Persephone' was composed by Imogen Holst, daughter of Gustav Holst, in 1929 whilst studying at the Royal College of Music. The concert will also feature 'The Bard' and 'Symphony No.5', both composed by Sibelius in 1913. 

The orchestra's guest soloist for this first concert of 2026, Wrexham's Luke Jones, is an international prize-winning pianist. A graduate of  the prestigious Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, Luke has performed to critical acclaim with orchestras such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Manchester Camerata. Luke has appeared on some of the world's most iconic concert stages including the Palau de la Musica Catalana, Barcelona, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, and Salle Cortot in Paris.  Alongside music, Luke also has a deep interest in many fields including world history, psychology, philosophy, religion, sport and personal development. 

Joining Wrexham Symphony as guest conductor, Jonathan Small is a renowned oboist who also enjoys a parallel career as a much sought after conductor. Jonathan stepped down from his position as Principal Oboist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2024 after 40 seasons. As a conductor, Jonathan has conducted concerts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Finland, and Helsingborg Symphony, Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra, Sweden and Wrexham Symphony Orchestra. Concerts with his own Wirral Symphony Orchestra include Mahler’s 2nd and 3rd Symphonies at Chester Cathedral; Duruflé and Brahms Requiems, Haydn’s Creation and a programme of Bach and Handel at Notre Dame du Havre, in Normandy. In June 2019 Jonathan conducted the combined Crosby and Wirral Symphonies in Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony at Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, with an orchestra of over 130 performers.

Speaking about the concert, Matthew Ellis, the Chairman of Wrexham Symphony Orchestra said:

"We are delighted to be staging our first concert of 2026. The most famous piece we are performing is undoubtedly Grieg's Piano Concerto, played by Wrexham's own keyboard maestro Luke Jones. He has performed worldwide, and this is his only Wrexham appearance in his current schedule. The second half of the concert includes two works by Sibelius, the profound and reflective "The Bard", and maybe his most popular symphony, his fifth. Starting the programme though is an early work by Imogen Holst. The daughter of Gustav Holst, she followed him into composition and developed her own unique style. The piece we are playing at this concert, 'Persephone', was performed only once in her lifetime, and published only this century. We think our performance will be within the first ten ever! We are proud to welcome back to the podium one of our regular conductors, Jonathan Small, who is best known as the principal oboist of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra."

Full details of 'Adventurer' can be found at: 

www.wrexhamorch.co.uk 

...where tickets can be booked online. 

Pictured - 'All the right notes' - Ernie Wise and Eric Morecambe with conductor André Previn during their classic 1971 sketch featuring Grieg's Piano Concerto.